I Got You
by RuthlessBallard
Summary: Frieda is a rough, tough, octopus tattooed, lifer inmate who has no one to answer to until she meets the infamous former prison chef who's down on her luck
1. Chapter 1

You know I've been in the clink for a long time now. I've seen all kinds of girls come and go in this place from all over. Mexicans, Jamaicans, white, black, tall, short, intelligent, stupid, crazy and even more damn crazy. But I tell you I don't think I've ever seen anyone quite like her.

Yeah I watched her around. She was usually surrounded by a bunch of those young girls, usually druggies who actually are trying to do right. All the CO's pat themselves on the back bragging how Litchfield fixed all them girls but everyone knows it was her doing. They don't leave her side. She got a system you see, she take care of them and they take care of her. But I guess there was a mix up or some kind of bad blood. Suddenly, I see her around about more not with anyone. No little girl asking her to fix the problems her daddy probably brought on. No, she's alone now and I can see its hurting her. I feel for her. Its the stark reality of getting old, out of nowhere you're perceived as useless and suddenly you got no body to lean on. That just aint right but its the reality of it all.

I see her just the table across from me. She looks so sad it breaks my heart. Her hair aint all done up to the heavens, her eyes aint painted with sharp points, her lips aint painted in bright colors. No her face is bare but I think she looks good. She got freckles dusted across her face and she pulls them off well. I glance at my table of forgotten golden oldies and I decide to make a move. I invite her over. She declines. I nod and usually I would drop it. But she looks so damn sad and honey every woman at my table has been in that exact same spot. It sucks pretty bad. So the next day I get my group to sit with her. She looks surprised and nervous. I was half ready for her to tell us to fuck off but she went a different route. She thanked us and tried to warn us she aint any good here at the moment. I just laugh and tell her to join the club. After some talking she calmed down and let me tell you she's pretty damn funny. She's smart as a whip too. She's got so many good things that usually this place beats out of you real quick. She's patient, and kind if she lets you see it, she takes pride in everything she does and she don't cut any corners. She's a top notch girl. I've never really fallen into that whole gay for the day thing here but I'm not gonna lie this one took me surprise. I can't help it she got me all interested. But I won't make a move. I know thats not a game she wants to play. We're to old for that, but I wanna be there for her. She makes me wanna do better.

We introduced her to gardening and she seemed to really pick up on it. I get her now. She's a hard working woman, she needs sweat its how she works, its in her blood. I can respect that. She good on it too! She treats the plants with so much care as if that little weed is her own child. It's a something to see. I noticed she has some of her spark back and something is churning in that pretty head of hers. She approached me with that little smirk of hers that I've grown to love. She wants to restart her business through the gardening shed. Of course I'm in. What else are they going to do to me if I get caught? It ain't nothing to me and honestly if that means I get to see that smile more often I'll do whatever she says. We get to business right away and no surprise that business was booming in a matter of a couple weeks. I noticed my group has a a pep in their step as well. No longer do we trudge about the prison passing our days we have purpose again. Usually I was the one calling the shots for my crew just because my bark is a little louder but now we are Red's girls. None of us mind at all really. Ever since she joined our little crew life brightened up quite a bit and life is a little more fun. So we're fine doing business with her, she pays us well with contraband but honestly her company is the only pay I need.

The business is good but I can see trouble on the horizon. We have a competing competitor and she is no good news at all. I hear the black girls are starting up their own drug trade. Just like in normal life it makes good money but it does no good other than that. But their ring leader Vee, I don't like her at all. She's bad news. She's been making her rounds about her trying to get more customers and I see this place start to split off into two teams. Team Vee and Team Everyone Else. What I don't like the most is how nervous she makes Red. I see the way the way Vee can just be in the same room and suddenly this chatty bright woman just dulls out real fast. Her back stiffens, her eyebrows furrow and she makes this pout I hate to see. One time we were enjoying a Valentines day party. I look over to see Vee walk up to Red. It was nothing big they just talked for no more than a minute but when Vee walked away I swear I could see Red start to tremble as she made her way across the room. I haven't known Red for very long but Im sure it takes a whole lot to make her tremble with fear and that makes me tremble with a whole different emotion.


	2. Chapter 2

Red asked us to help her put together a feast. She wants her little girls back and she wants to make things right. She assures us that she has no plans to leave us but she considers those little things her family and she lives for family. I understand. Its ok sweetie you do your thing. You know I got you. We made the green house look nice with a family set table, candles and the smell of Red's cooking. She treated us all to first taste since we had to be acting as wait staff and I'll say its probably the best food I've had in thirty years. I told her that and I cherish the way her face brightened up at what I had to say. She was so nervous when the girls came late. I watched her greet her family so warmly, apologize so humbly and smile so brightly as she watched over them. I admit I was worried that our time together was over but she put me at ease when she winked to me as she toasted to my little group as "the baddest bitches here". It was such a compliment coming from the best bitch of them all.

I really felt we were unbreakable until the day I was sitting with Norma playing cards when Red bursts in hollering that I sold her out. I watched her in shock as she continues to yell, almost weeping, that I had narked on the whole operation. She grabbed me by the collar and shook me all the while hollering as tears welled up in her eyes. The mousy one pulled her off of me and dragged her away. I promise I had no idea what she was talking about and the last thing I would ever do EVER would betray Red. I hurt bad. What did I do to make her believe I wasn't there for her? What happened to make her believe any of us would betray her? Two days later she appeared at my bunk. I was lounging catching up on a good book when I looked up to see her leaning in the threshold watching me. I sat up and she approached me and handed me a box of Little Debbie snack cakes, my favorite. I looked up at her in surprise and she just stared at me with the most pleading expression. She didn't have to say a word. I smiled and she sat down next to me. She looked around us saying nothing and timidly I put my hand over hers, she didn't move away. "This place" she said quietly "This place is getting to me". I reassured her that it gets to all of us from time to time. She smiled sweetly to me but I could tell she was unconvinced.

I should have known her words were her way of warning me. I should have known something was wrong when she didnt show up to score the card game. I should of known she needed me there. Everything seemed so normal until the alarm went off and we were hustled to our bunks. That could have been anything but the way the guards were acting put me on edge. It wasnt long until the story spread like wildfire. They found her laying there in the green house. She was just laying there looking up to the heavens after someone slocked her right upside the head. I didnt believe it until we had to clean the blood up off of the ground. I tried to act all brave for my girls but soon the tears started rolling down my cheeks and I just sat right there on the blood stained floor and cried like child. It wasn't to long after that when the younger girls joined us to help and you know what they all sat down on the floor and cried right along with me. I get now why Red felt so strong about family because its only your family that will allow you to feel whatever you need to in a place like this. We heard later on that she was going to be fine. She needed a week or so to be strong enough to return but she will be fine. I knew she would she's a fighter. You're safe now sweetie. We got you. We all got you.

The feds tried blaming it on one of the young girls, the confused one, crazy eyes. But we all knew it was Vee. Everyone knew but you play dumb and you don't snitch. Even Red didn't say a word on who attacked her. But it makes my stomach churn knowing by the way they found her Vee probably looked Red right in those pretty blue eyes right before she slocked her. I wanted to hurt Vee. I wanted to end Vee. We all did. But she was bigger than all of us and collectively we knew it would only cause our girl more trouble if we made a bad move. But man the urge was there. For the first time the feds actually did their job and decided it was Vee who was guilty of the attack. But guess who suddenly disappeared just in time. I was furious. But I guess God was on our side this time because later on we heard Vee was killed by a hit and run when running down the highway. That was a great day for me. But the best day was when Red returned.

My heart smiled when she was back. The scars did nothing to take away from perfection. She was all there, her wit, her strength and her love. Im so damn proud of her. I guess a brush with death woke my girl up and pretty soon she was back in her kitchen. She was in at a lower rank but I knew pretty soon she would get to the top in her own crafty way. Sadly that meant we got to see a lot less of her but she still sat with us at movie night and snuck us treat at almost each meal. She had it all but she somehow never let us feel invisible again. As predicted the she got back to top chef in the kitchen but with a price. The prison switched over to a new big boss and even though big boss gave us new soap dispensers they also gave us slop. It was disgusting, a big pile of up chuck for us at every meal. I could tell it hurt her soul. She was mortified by it all and it led to many speeches reminding us she had nothing to do with it. It was kind of funny but mostly annoying.

But thankfully that brought her back to us. She approached me with that smile that she had to know by now guarantees me fetching her whatever her hearts desire. "So how about it?" She says proudly "Its about time we get back in business together." I was all in, just give me that smile and Im all in. Almost daily I get to stop by the kitchen with fresh veggies and she trades me some new seeds to grow. I watch her light up as she takes each veggie from my hand and cradles each one with such care. She thanks me with a big grin and bright eyes. I smile back. I only got a couple more years with her but I know she will be a part of my heart for the rest of my life. Like I said, I've seen every kind of woman you can see but I've never seen a woman quite like her.


End file.
